Virtus, Niang isn't enough: Galbiati and Spagnolo's Baskonia wins 87-76

Virtus couldn't do anything: at Buesa Arena, they suffered their third consecutive Euroleague defeat, their fifth in nine rounds. Galbiati and Spagnolo's Baskonia prevailed, winning 87-76 for their third straight victory. The Basques attacked better and led from start to finish, capitalizing on Bologna's defensive difficulties. Their 14 turnovers and 8-of-25 3-point shooting did the rest, with Edwards being very inaccurate (4-of-16 shooting), while Niang (a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds) was the last to give up. Diallo and Luwawu-Cabarrot were decisive for the home team, combining for 30 points.

Virtus' game immediately got off to an uphill battle: Baskonia started strong, and an 11-2 lead after 4' forced Ivanovic to call a timeout. The Basques' offensive rebounds (4) created extra possessions, with Diallo and Sedekerskis being very aggressive (7 points each in the first 10'), while Bologna suffered from the opponents' speed of play. The Italian champions took advantage of trips to the free throw line, but found no countermeasures for Galbiati's small forward line, who alternated this solution with the "double big man" Diop-Diakite. Virtus produced good plays with the Diouf-Niang duo, but the home team flew to +12 (42-30 in the 16') with a triple from Nowell, and went back to the locker room with a 46-34 lead.

A spark was needed to get the game back on track, and Saliou Niang provided it. The Basque defense couldn't contain him, and the Italian was perfect both from the field (5/5) and from the line (6/6). Niang led Virtus to an 11-2 run (56-52 in the 26th minute), but when the deficit was just one point, Baskonia responded: seven points in the final minute of the third quarter, getting back to an eight-point lead (65-57) entering the final 10 minutes. Thanks to several excellent plays by Spagnolo, Galbiati's team even ran out to a 16-point lead (75-59), but Virtus responded with a three-pointer. It was too late, however, to hope for a comeback: Bologna forced shots and made mistakes, tired and lacking in concentration. On the other side, Luwawu-Cabarrot, silent but consistent, sealed the victory for his team with a triple to make it 83-70 with 3' to go.

Baskonia : Luwawu-Cabarrot 16, Diallo 14, Sedekerskis 13 Bologna : Niang 18, Edwards 10, Diouf 10